RRevieweview AAD Cub Acoustic quitar amp years of service. The Cub is built much like a powered studio monitor but with a vinyl-covered MDF cabinet. The metal rear panel incorporates a heat sink and also houses all the controls and connectors. A simple strap handle on top is more than adequate to carry it in comfort, though the AAD Cub included gig bag also has handles and a small Acoustic guitar amplifier storage pocket for cables or strings. There’s nothing on the front of the cabinet except a removable speaker grille that protects a pair of five inch Neo-Power, extended-range drivers covering the 80Hz to 16kHz frequency range necessary to reproduce the acoustic guitar. As the cone drivers are full-range units, there is no need for a separate tweeter. System sensitivity is rated at 95dB/Watt @ 1 metre and the amp has a soft clipping characteristic to keep the sound sweet even when driven to the edge of its power capabilities. Even the signal-to-noise ratio is more in keeping with what you’d expect from a hi-fi amplifier at 95dB. Turning to the rear panel, we find the controls protected from damage by a small metal bar handle that protrudes to the same extent as the heatsink, so even if you lay the amp on its back, the knobs won’t touch the ground. A similar bar handle at the bottom of the panel protects the power inlet and power switch. Unlike some acoustic guitar amplifiers which also include XLR mic inputs, The Cub has only a single input switchable between 0dB: >4MΩ/22pF, 10mVolts-2.5Volts and a -10dB sensitivity with a range of 20mV-5V and an impedance of 100KOhms. In addition to Gain, there are three EQ cut/boost controls, each with a +/-15dB range and operating at fixed frequencies of 100Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz so this section is more like what you’d expect to find on a small mixing console than on an instrument amplifier. There’s no notch filter for tackling feedback resonances but there is a send/return loop accessed via quarter inch jacks that allows additional processors to be placed in the signal path. This could be useful because unlike most competing designs, there is no built-in reverb — the Cub is designed to deliver clean power with no frills. By way of self preservation, the solid-state, Class A/B amplifier We’ve all become rather used to acoustic guitar is protected by an AC line filer, a slow-blow fuse, thermal protection, loudspeaker short-circuit amplifiers being smaller than their power rating might protection and DC output sensing. On the output side, apart from the effect suggest, but the AAD Cub takes the compact format send and return jacks (the send doubles as an to new limits while applying hi-fi design principles to extra line out if you need it to) there is an XLR balanced line output with ground lift switch for achieve the best possible sound quality. connection to a PA system, but what the manual doesn’t say is whether or not this is isolated from any phantom power that might be active Meeasuringa just 6.5 x 11.8 x 12.5 inches (yes, it The company behind this apparent miracle is on the mixer to which it is connected. I queried is just 6.5 inches wide!), The Cub weighs 11.5 American Acoustic Development, well known this and was assured it was immune to phantom lbs, which to put it in perspective, is only a little for their high performance bass amps sold under power, which is important as most small mixers heavier than a typical Fender Strat. Despite its the PJB (Phil Jones Bass) brand, and Phil also have globally switchable phantom power so kiddy-sized footprint, The Cub is rated at 100 has his name on this design. Though not cheap it is almost a certainty that the amp will be on Watts and features a universal switch-mode when priced per kilogram, the retail price does the receiving end of phantom power at some power supply that will work worldwide without include a fitted gig bag and the build quality time during its lifetime, intentionally or not. In the user having to change voltage setting. suggests that this amplifier is going to give many addition to the balanced XLR, there’s also a line 62 music mart June 2007 musicmart-mag.com out on a quarter inch jack plus a tuner output, could expect from such a simple magnetic which also doubles as a further line out. Power system but I found I had to turn the amplifier comes in on an IEC socket with integral mains gain right up to get a usable level out of it so a bit fuse. more gain would have been helpful for use with this type of pickup. However, an inexpensive Testing times mini mixer plugged into this amp could provide Small though this amplifier is, it is actually both effects and a mic input as well as extra capable of playing reasonably loud, line gain and still come in cheaper and if you need even more level, than the competition, so that you can run a DI into the PA is an option well worth system or slave another considering. I don’t think full-range amplifier. the sound has quite the There’s more bottom airy top end of a system end than you’d that uses a separate expect from anything tweeter and if you so small but it is drive it too hard it also gratifyingly tight begins to get a tad and punchy rather boxy, but at sensible than boomy as is often playing levels it sounds the case with lesser good. This amp might amplifiers and even a Strat be rated at 100 Watts but or Telecaster plugged directly nobody would expect it into the amp gives a very to compete with, say, a 100 passable electro acoustic sound. Watt Marshall stack. Whenever Similarly, my Line 6 Variax set to its acoustic you miniaturise a speaker system, guitar model sounded pretty convincing. In it’s invariably at the expense of maximum SPL. Cub exudes an addition to piezo pickups, I also tried my Martin When you do drive The Cub too hard, the soft air of professionalism. The lack of reverb or with a George L clip-on magnetic soundhole clipping gives the sound a spongy feel, a bit a mic input may mean the solo pub performer pickup and that sounded as acoustic as you like mild overdrive, but then that’s better than needing to amplify both guitar and vocals has the sound of hard clipping and to budget for an additional small mixer, but the might actually work for you if you’re total cost will probably still be less than many of playing a slide Dobro. the alternatives. Ergonomically, some kind of This is the ideal acoustic guitar amplifier speaker stand or mic stand mount for small venues where the performer needs might have been useful and portability and doesn’t need the amplifier to I understand that the company handle vocals. It isn’t as loud as some physically are looking into this for future larger 100-Watt acoustic amplifiers I’ve tried but revisions, but with an amplifier this feedback will probably limit your level before light, finding somewhere to put it the amp does. If you were to use two of them shouldn’t be much of a problem. you could run your mixer or electric guitar Overall, the tonality is both clean modelling preamp in stereo which might be and smooth with no nasty edginess a good setup for small gigs where a budget at the top end and the EQ provides mixer would also let you run backing tracks and scope for general tonal balancing additional mics through the system. to suit the instrument or room. This tonal smoothness helps dilute the ‘quackiness’ of some piezo bridge systems but you still need a good musicmart pickup to get the best out of this AAD Cub £329 amplifier and pickups with their own tone controls help too as the Key Notes Cub’s EQ is really only for general • Compact acoustic guitar amp. sound shaping. I would have liked • 100W. • 2 x 5-inch drivers. to see a sweepable anti-feedback • 11.5lbs. notch control as these can really get you out of trouble. Ergonomically, High Notes the amp is fantastically portable • Extremely compact. and I can see the sense in putting • Well balanced sound. the controls around the back out of • Surprising level and low end. • Comes with gig bag. harm’s way, but it wouldn’t have hurt to put a power LED on the front as Low Notes you can’t usually see the back panel • No XLR mic input. from a playing position. I really like • No reverb or other effects. the included gig bag as this offers Synergy Distribution 01212706485 adequate protection without taking www.aadsound.com up too much space, and overall The June 2007 music mart 63.